The Sick Day
by MrSimba593
Summary: Hi, I'm back! And so are my stories! Po gets sick and a friendship becomes more. TiPo One-Shot.


**The Sick Day**

**Yeah… I've been gone for a while… You guys can be as mad as you want at me for now! I am actually on my way down to Florida right now so I thought this would be the perfect time for my comeback! With all the time to write in the car and all… I PROMISE a song-fic by tomorrow night AND an update on "Twist and Turns of Fate" Just as a small sorry/thanks. Hopefully you all haven't forgotten me. **

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It was another regular morning, just like the rest for Tigress. Wake up before the gong, stretch, meditate, a light training session, and then be back in her room before the gong rang for the masters to awake. Then Master Shifu would greet and brief them on their day's adventures, the red panda would then retreat to the meditation ponds for the day and not be seen until the day was drawn to a close.

Everything was going normal for Tigress she had finished her early morning training that really only included warm-up runs and exercises to keep her body in top performance shape. She was able to slip into her room before the gong and before Shifu knew… If Shifu had known about her early routine she would surely be punished. The old master knew that training and exercising was good for the mind and body, but too much of it could be harmful.

Tigress prepped herself for the gong, and seconds later it rang. She let pure muscle memory take over from what she had done for the last twenty years. Open the door, take one step, shut the door, bow, and say…

"Good Morning Master" the Five said in unison.

"Good Morning…" Shifu looked up from his bow and realized something wasn't right.

"Where is Po?" the red panda asked his students, but they all shook their heads.

"Maybe he is still asleep." Monkey suggested.

"What? You'd think after two years he would have gotten it now." Mantis snickered.

"I don't understand, he was doing so well on getting up on time. Yesterday he did just fine." Tigress added.

"Besides that, it wasn't even stressful yesterday." Crane said and adjusted his wings.

"Guys, maybe he has a reason for sleeping in. Maybe something is wrong, like Tigress said he hasn't slept in in weeks." Viper got everyone calmed down.

"Viper is right." Shifu spoke up from behind his students. "Crane can you please check on Po?"

Crane nodded and slowly opened the panda's door to find the room still dark as the shades hadn't been opened this morning. The bird then turned his attention to the mass still asleep on the bed, but as he got closer Crane noticed the panda was shaking. He had been sweating and his sheets were strewn about. Crane placed a wing on his forehead and realized Po was burning up.

"Shifu, Po is sick." Crane said with a worried look as he stepped from the room.

"What?" Shifu went to examine the panda himself and confirmed what Crane had said the panda was indeed sick.

"Viper can you retrieve the palace medic." Shifu looked at Viper she nodded and took off. "The rest of you may head to the training hall…" His students started to leave the hall. "Except for you, Tigress." Shifu said putting his staff up in front of her.

"W-why..?" Tigress stuttered.

"For two reasons. One: you have already trained this morning and I know you have been doing these past couple weeks."

"But, I…"

"No absolutely no butt's, you disobeyed me about over exerting yourself. This brings me to my second reason." Shifu was going to go on, but at that exact same point Viper slithered back in to Po's room with the medic. They all took a step back while the medic did what she did best. After a few minutes she came over to them.

"It's alright, he will be fine. He has caught a mild version of the flu, but he will need to stay in bed and get plenty of rest. Keep him full of fluids and try to feed him some soup, and keep him under the covers so he can sweat it out." The doctor finished.

"Thank you, mam." Shifu bowed to the medic then turned back to Tigress.

"And this is the second reason." Shifu pointed to Po. "He needs someone to watch over him for the day. Feed, him, keep him drinking water, and keep him comfortable."

"Master… shouldn't I be training?" Tigress didn't want to have watch Po all day.

"No you done enough all day, besides don't you and Po hang-out together on your guy's off time anyways?" Shifu question, when he got no answer out of her he turned to leave. "Just keep him comfortable and you should get some rest too." And with that Shifu walked out Po's room leaving Tigress with the still sleeping Po.

Tigress walked over to Po's bed to find him snoring lightly, and Tigress was curious so she placed a paw in his forehead to find it was really warm.

"Oh… Po. You're burning up." Tigress whispered under her breath and left to go dip a cloth in cool water. She returned seconds later with the cloth and after folding it up she gently placed it on his forehead.

"Huh? Wha…? Did I wake up late again?" Po mumbled himself awake and tried to sit up, but Tigress pushed him down back into bed.

"Shh… Go back to bed." Tigress said in a soothing voice.

"Tigress? What's… Whoa, I don't feel so good…" Po said as he laid back down.

"You're sick and you need your rest so you're staying in bed for the day." Tigress stated and reached for a cup of water she had brought back with her. "Here, drink this, the doctor said you needed as much fluids as you can get."

Po took the cup from Tigress and drained hits contents into his mouth and wiping his mouth with his arm. "Thanks Tigress."

"No problem, Po." Tigress gave him a small smile. A small moment of time passed between the two as they sat there then Po broke the silence.

"Why aren't you training with the rest of the Five?" Po asked curiously.

"We found you sick this morning and someone needed to watch you, and Shifu choose me." Tigress explained.

"Oh, so you don't want to be here." Po had a hurt look on his face.

"No, no, no, don't take it like that Po, I like spending time with you. Like, when we hung out at the festival together last week. That was really fun." Tigress gave him a soft smile. "Now get some rest, maybe we can play checkers later."

"Thanks Tigress, I'd like that." Po said sleepily, but before he dozed off he reached out and took hold of Tigress' paw and held it in his as he slowly drifted off to dreamland. Tigress didn't say anything, but let Po hold her paw. A light blush had found itself to her face as she watched him sleep, still holding her paw.

Truth is, she had a crush on the panda and was afraid to admit it. She thought it was funny that she could fight monsters and evil criminals, but was afraid to tell a man she has a crush on him. Still, Tigress wanted to change something.

It had gotten later in the day and it was time of lunch, Tigress had gone out to the kitchen to see if she could make some soup for Po. Thirty minutes and one messy kitchen later she had a finished dish. It tasted okay to her, but decided to let Po really critique her work.

When Tigress returned to Po's room with the soup in her paws she found him sitting up in bed with the checker board set up next to him on the night stand.

"Ready for that game of checkers?" Po asked with his signature grin.

"Good your awake, you should eat." Tigress said and handed him the bowl of hot soup.

Po sniffed it a little before taking a small sip. "Did you make this?"

"Y-yes… Why is it bad?" Tigress asked sheepishly.

"No, actually it's the opposite. In fact I would love another bowl." Po said as he drained the contents of the bowl. This caused the tiger to give yet another light blush, but luckily her orange fur hid it.

"Sure I'll be right back." Tigress said and ran off to refill his bowl. Soon she was back in his room and sat on the other side of the checker board.

"Red?" Po asked, and gestured to her.

"Red." Tigress nodded.

"Sorry you had to watch over me today, I actually feel a little better." Po said making the first move.

"It's not a big deal Po, I've kind of got used to you dragging me all over the place when I want to train." Tigress said countering Po's move chuckling in her mind.

"But it's good for you to get out and do things rather than train all day. You know there is more to life."

"I know… It's just hard." Tigress said quietly trying to make Po think she was just concentrating on her checker game, but she couldn't fool the panda… especially after everything they had been through.

"Hard checker game or hard to go out of the palace?" Po asked

Tigress scrunched up her nose, thinking of how to proceed with Po's question. She was positive Po would understand because he knew of how difficult her past had been, though he had always had the same problems she had. It was like they were one in the same, except for the polar opposite personalities.

"I just don't… It's…It's just hard for me to meet people. I'm not good with the whole friendly thing…

"I understand."

"You do?"

"Yeah… I mean, being the only panda in the village… in China… just makes it hard to relate with anyone. Well, until now."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't see any tigers walking around." Po looked up, surprised to find her looking back with soft eyes like they were saying she understood what he meant.

"It's… like we are all alone." Tigress said solemnly.

"But, we aren't anymore!" Po said trying to cheer up the mood.

"Yeah, even though I spent my whole life here with Shifu and the rest of the five I never really connected with anyone… not even Shifu. All those years I spent just trying to please him, wasted…" Tigress shook her head and jumped one of Po's checkers.

"They weren't wasted, look how good you are at Kung Fu! You didn't just get to become my favorite because you're cute." Po's eyes went wide. _Good job Po! Now she is going to kill you. _Po continued to mentally beat himself as Tigress' mind raced through her thoughts.

"But Shifu d-doesn't even appreciate me!" Tigress said trying to change the subject and hide her blush at the same time.

"That's a lie Ti, and you know it." Po stated. "I know it, the five knows it, and anyone who watches us train knows it. The look on his face as he watches you train is one of a father. My dad does it when we cook together."

Tigress sat thinking of all the times she would look over her shoulder to see if she was making her father proud, and there it was… small mental pictures. From all over her life little snapshots of his approval when he though she wasn't looking. Like he was afraid to show her the attention she had been striving for all her life. Tigress assumed it was because of Tai-Lung.

"Your right Po, I see it." Tigress smiled slightly, this panda always had a way to her heart and beyond.

"I told you." Po said gloating a little. Even though he was sick in bed he still had to be Po.

"And I win again." Tigress said triumphantly as she claimed the last of Po's checkers.

"I've lost too many times; I'm due for a win one of these days." Po gave a small laugh as did Tigress.

"Wow it got late." Tigress said when she peered out Po's window.

"Time must really fly when you're having fun!" Po joked causing Tigress to show a small smirk that Po would always find attractive.

"Hey guys, food is ready." Viper said looking into Po's room to find a panda and tiger laughing together.

"Awesome food!" Po said trying to get out of bed, but Viper pushed him back down.

"No Po, Shifu wants you to stay in bed."

"Aw… but I'm feeling better!" Po almost whined making Tigress shake her head.

"Sorry Po. Someone will bring your food to you." Viper said slithering back out the door and down the hall.

"It's okay, Po. I'll go get you your dinner and eat in here so you don't have to eat alone." Tigress turned to leave and for a small second she peered over her shoulder to see Po staring at her, but it took her a second to realize _what _he was staring at. Tigress blushed a little and quickened her pace down the hall. Guys never made eyes at her, they usually ran in fear. It felt weird, but good.

Po knew it was ungentlemanly like to stare at her like that, but sometimes he really forgot how much of female she really was. This was the first time he had ever felt like this around someone…

Tigress eventually came back with the food and they sat in the awkward silence eating until Po cracked a joke and the weird feeling in the air was burnt away. The two continued to talk late into the night and Tigress felt herself shift closer to Po without a second though. She knew she liked him and the feeling was relatively old, but she had recently figured out what it was exactly… love. She had a crush.

As Tigress slowly changed her position it was like they didn't realize it was happening. Like it was what they wanted to happen. Tigress was still sitting on her stool but she was leaning onto Po's chest with his arm around her. It was safe to say that Tigress was in a very comfortable position. They sat there, cuddling, and telling stories.

"Then that's when I turned sixteen." Po chuckled a little. "My dad was almost positive he was never going to have grandchildren."

"So what, at least you got fan girls to pick from. I send all the guys running." Tigress said clutching Po like he was going to get shot away again.

"Funny, I haven't" Po said moving in closer.

"No… even after everything I did to you…you didn't" Tigress was about to close the gap between them and then she realized what was going on and jumped to her feet, she was scared. How could a hardcore warrior like her fall in love? People don't fall in love with people like her. Tigress started to make her way out of the room when Po jumped up.

"Tigress! Wait!" Po said, something told him he wouldn't get another chance like this, but as he said her name she turned around right as he got to her and they stopped… with their noses touching. It was like they felt electricity was flowing through them.

"I wanted to… to say goodnight." Po whispered with his eyes locked onto hers. She said nothing as Po leaned in, Tigress also found herself unconsciously leaning in too.

Po felt their lips connect for the very first time and they both melted into the kiss. He angled his head slightly to the side as Tigress did the opposite, then he slowly moved his paws to her hips and gentle caressed them causing Tigress to moan softly and press herself closer to Po. She brought her arms up around his neck and had to lift herself up a little to be on the same level as him. As they loosened their grip on each other, Tigress rubbed her head into the crook of his neck. They stood there for a few minutes holding each other until Tigress spoke.

"Please… never leave me again…" Tigress whispered and Po could hear the wavering in her voice like she was about to cry.

"Never again…" Po said and silence again crept into the hall for a few minutes again then Tigress knew it was time to part ways again until the morning light. But she also knew tomorrow was going to be very interesting.

"Goodnight, Po" Tigress said releasing her captive.

"Goodnight, Ti" He said kissing her one last time. They kept their eyes on each other until they were in their rooms.

That night they both dreamt up really good dreams and slept with smiles on their face. The morning came soon and Po wok up early for an odd reason then he heard the gong. Po jumped to his feet opening his door and stepping out and saying…

"Good Morning Master!" Po and the Five said.

"Good Morning…" Shifu peered around his students. "Tigress?"

They all looked at the spot where she should be except there was no physical being present. They opened her door and looked inside to find her tangled up in her sheets and sweating. Shifu felt her forehead to find she was burning up.

Shifu rolled his eyes and said, "I'll get the healer."

"And I'll get the checker board." Po said from behind the group and ran into his room.

**Alright, my work is done I'll update again tonight. R&R! Simba593 over and out! **


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